Blackhawk helicopters have traditionally been used principally for military purposes. The Blackhawk has a large cabin suitable for transporting soldiers and cargo, and hence is a versatile aircraft for use in warfare. As is true of many helicopters, the Blackhawk's cabin is located directly beneath the engines, gearbox, and main rotor of the helicopter. In addition to containing the engines and gearbox, the area above the cabin also contains numerous hydraulically activated devices.
Experience has shown that this engine/gearbox area may leak various fluids such as lubricants, water, and hydraulic fluid. In the Blackhawk's primary military uses, such leaks do not pose much of a problem because the cabin interior is typically unfinished, and hence dripping fluids do no damage. However, the Blackhawk has other potential uses in which it is desirable to eliminate to as great an extent as possible the intrusion of fluids into the cabin area.
For example, it is desirable to use a Blackhawk helicopter to transport persons, such as military officers, in non-warfare situations. In such uses, it may be desirable to finish the cabin interior in a manner similar to the interior of a civilian or commercial aircraft, in order to provide a greater degree of comfort than the unfinished cabin affords. In particular, it may be desirable to install upholstered seating, carpeting and the like.
In such a case, it is desirable to prevent the leaking of fluids into the cabin because the materials used in finishing the interior may be damaged by contact with lubricants, fuels, or hydraulic fluids. Thus, it is desirable to refurbish the unfinished cabin of such a helicopter to provide a substantial degree of protection against fluids entering the finished interior and to provide a finer grade interior than that used for military field application.
A number of considerations limit the available alternatives for solving this problem. First, the cabin treatment must be capable of withstanding relative movement between various parts of the cabin caused by the flexing of the aircraft structure under the loads experienced in flight and on the ground. Such flexing can tear or crack fixtures mounted to the cabin wall structure. Second, because the ceiling of the Blackhawk cabin is low to begin with, it is desirable to maximize the ceiling height with the treatment installed.
Third, all parts of the treatment must be capable of passing through the side doors of the Blackhawk because the cabin treatment is preferably installed after the manufacturing of the helicopter is completed.
Fourth, because the treatment or furnishing must be removed in order to allow regular periodic maintenance to be performed on the engine/gearbox area and other areas such as the side areas housing the flight controlling rods etc., it is desirable to minimize the time required for disassembly and assembly.
Finally, the treatment must be readily adaptable to minor variations in cabin dimensions from one aircraft to another, as all aircraft, including Blackhawks, are built by hand and no two are exactly alike.
It has thus been a primary objective of the invention to provide an improved apparatus for refurbishing aircraft interiors to meet one or more of these considerations.